Strip bearing



Nov. 16, 1937. R. E. B. SHARP 2,099,661

STRIP BEARING v Filed April 12, 1954 jcyp; I 2 I Patented Now 16, 1937 UNITED STATES aosasi strannssnmo Robert a. nummer slmp, Philadelphia, ra., 4' vassignor to Baldwin-Southwark Corporation,

a corporation of Delaware ApplicationApr-il 12, 1934,' Serial No. 720,19. 4

s omm (cl. :os-2:9) Q

lThis invention relates generally to so-calied strip type hearings and more particularly to an improved method and lmeans whereby a standard hearing strip is adapted to be used for bearinse of different diameters.

The hearing herein dlsclosed relates more particularly to rubber' hearings or equivalent material such as is especially adapted for hydraulic apparatus, wherein water isV used'as 'a lubricant. Such bearingss are widely used in hydraulic turhines and pumps and in the marine fleld, hut the difllculty with such bearings as heretofore constructed is that the strips are adapted for only one diameter, thus necessitatinga diflerent size or form of strip for each diameter. v It is one object of my invention to provide a improved strip hearing so constructed and Varranged that a standard hearing strip may'he employed for a wide range of hearing diameters.

20 A further object is to provide a standard bearing strip or section having improved means for interlocking the successive strips "whereby the same are positively held in position irrespective of the hearing diameter, while at the same time '25 maintaining full effectiveness of the bearingsurface and of providing a flrm backing for the hearing. w

To accomplish certain of the foregoing objects I preferably employ what is herein termed the 0 chordal principle and the interlocking means is preferably in the form of articulated Joints whereby the strips are not only adapted to be readily fitted to and positioned to different diameters hut will also automatically maintain an equalized op- 3-5 erative relation between each other.

A further and more speciflc object is to provide a hearing formed of my improved standar'dlzed strips so arranged that the full circumference of the hearing does not have to he precisely filled 40 with the standard strips but instead an odd space may be left that will not receive a full strip. In

one specific aspect of the invention I prefer to.

Other objects and advantages will he morev 50 'apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following description of the accompanying drawing in which:

Pig. i is a perspective view of one form of my I improved hearing strip; g; Pig. 2 is a horizontal sectional hearing of one diameter emhodying my improved "Fig.3isaviewsimilartol"ig;2showingthe adaptability of the hearing strips of-Fig.'2 to a larger diameter hearing; i i 5 Elg. 4 is a horizonta. section through a hearing embodying a modified form of interlocking Flg. 5 is a modified formof fliler.

Ink-the iliustrated emhodiments oftheinvention which -are shown herein merely for the purpose of disclosing certain speciflc forms among possible others that the invention might take; I have provided a hearing housing l having a circular inner periphery 2 extending axially of a shaft to h'ejournalled in the hearing. -The housing I may be formed in'any suitable manner as part of any suitable apparatus-such as a hydraulic turbine, pump, ship, dredge; or other apparatus, hut as this does not enter into the present invention; it will sufllce to describe only the features of the hearing. v

' The hearing comprises a plurality of standard ized hearing strips 8, each of vwhich comprlses preferably a flat heavy metal block 4 preferably but not necessarily of elongated form. The hack and front faces of these blocks are flat,.wherehy the vertical edges of the -back normally rest against the circular wall 2 and the hack face is spaced therefrom along achord of the ciri cular wall. Rubber orother suitable composition I is vulcanized or votherwise suitably secured to the front face of the block.l The rubber facing may be of various shapes .to provide suitable luhricant grooves which herein are vertical spaces formed between adjacent edges: of the rubber strips.- Thethickness of the hacking plate or block is sumcient to present a rigid .baclring for the rubber hearing I even though the hack face of the block is spaced from the circular wall I.

In order to adapt a single standardized form of hearing-strip to a wide range of diameters, r

while at the same time maintaining' the .various strips in full interlocking cooperation with each other, I have provided one of thelvertical edges 4.6 of each. strip Vblock with a groove 1 while .the

VotherverticaledgeoftheblockisprovidedvvithI. semi-circular tonguei. This tongue iitswithin the semi-circular-groove 'I of the adiacent hearing strip, and hence it-is seen that viii-respective of the diameter circularwall I thehearing strip will readily conform to said wall andat the same time will heheld in a fixed Lposition lmtthesameasthouahthehlockshadheenspecially oonsiructedfortheparticulsrdiameterofhsaring. Inasmuch as the application of the standardized hearing strip to different diameters will likely cause an odd space between the last two hearing strips placed in position, I provide a filler block i extending preferahly for the full length of the strips and having a concave recess lly and a circular tongue l|- adapted to cooperate with the tongue and recess of the adiacent strips. This illler will, of course, vary in its circumferential dimension but due to its simplicity and the fact that only one such fliler is needed for each diameter of hearing, no particular difiiculty will arise from the necessity of using such an element. In fact, the-necessity of providing only one such element is far cheaper than the neces-l sity of providing for each diameter of hearing a plurality of special hearing strips as has heretofore been the practice. 'I'o suit certain diameters the width of the space between the standard strips may he such that it will be preferahle to 'make a flller Il by cutting down onel of the lstandard strips as indicated in Flg. 5. The interlocking recess lll and tongue li are preferahly of the form shown wherehy an articulated selfconforming Joint is provided, although in accordance with the interlocking principle disclosed herein the Joint maybe of various shapes and forms even though non-articulated. In initially positioning thehearing strips and before the'filler 0 is inserted, it is necessary (where the hearing housing is in halves) to hold thebearing strips in each half of the hearing shell or housing, and this is accomplished by having the last strips on each half of the diameter held in position by any suitable screws, generally indicated at ll, threaded in the hearing housing i or extending through the housing and threaded into the metal backing of the 'hearing strip. One end of the strips will hutt against a suitable flange around the hacking wall 2.

Various arrangements may he provided to obtain the n articulated connection hetween the various hearing strips. although one modiilcation is shown in Fig. 4 wherein both vertical edges of each strip are provided with complementary semi-circular grooves ll and ll while a key II of circular cross-section is'inserted within said recesses to hold the adjacent strip in operative relation. Also a illler element l'l has semi-circular edges so as to he snugly received in the edge grooves of the adlacent strips. Fromthe foregoing disclosure of the chordal principle, it is seen that a very eflective and simple means and method are provided to permit one standardv form of strip to he used for a wide range of hearing diameters, such strips herein being referred to as chordal strips.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrange- -mentof parts may-he made by those skilled in 'the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. vA hearing comprising a supporting housing having a curved wall, a plurality of strip bearings supported Vagainst said wall in partial spaced relation thereto, and means including a complementary proiectionand recess operatively associated with adiacent hearing strips for-interlocking said hearing strips and for allowing *the same to be adapted for use in bearings of different diameters while still retaining a normal operative relation to its supporting wall and between the strips. i I

2. A hearing comprising a supporting housing having a curved wall. a plurality of strip .bearings supported at spaced points against said wall but spaced therefrom between the-points of support, and articulating means for connecting said hearing strips.

3. A hearing vcomprising a supporting housing having a curved wall, a plurality of strip hearings supported atspaced points against said wall hut spaced therefrom between the points of support, and means for interlocking said strips including a groove in one edge of each strip and a cooperating member disposed within said groove and operatively connected to the adiacent strip. i I i 4. A hearing comprising a supporting housing having a curved wall, a plurality of strip hearings supported at spaced points against said wall but spaced therefrom between the points of support, and means' for interlocking adiacent strips including a tongue and groove between the same. V5. A hearing comprising a supporting housin! having a curved wall, a plurality of strip. bearings supported at spaced points against saidv wall but spaced therefrom between the points of support, and means for interlocking adjacent strips including a tongue formed along one edge of one strip and a groove formed in the edge of the adiacent strip-to receive said tongue.

6. A hearing comprisingxa supporting housing having a curved wall, a plurality of striphearings supported atspaced points against said wall hut spaced therefrom between the points of support; and means for interlocking adjacent strips includingv a tongue formed along one edge of one strip and a groove formed in the edge of the adjacent strip to receive said tongue, said tongue and groove being of curved cross-section to permit self-alignment of saidv strips against said wall.

'1. A hearing comprismg .a supporting housing having a curved wall, a plurality of strip bearings supported atspaced points against said wall hut spaced therefrom between the points of support, and means for interloclring adiacent strips including grooves formed in the edges of adjacent strips and a key inserted within said grooves. v

8. A hearing comprising a housing having a curved axially extending supporting wall, a plurality of similar hearing strips supported against said wall in at least partially spaced relation thereto and having provision at their yadiacent edges whexehy said hearing strips maybe employed for bearings of different diameters while 1 still being maintained in a normal relationL to each other and to the wall, and a flller block adapted to be'inserted between two adiacent strips to fill a space not adapted to receive one of said similar strips. v

ROBERT E. BRUNSWICK SHARP. 

